Psychedelic
by IceHaze
Summary: For him, the lie was always better than the truth.


**Disclaimer**: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters.  
**Warnings:** Language, Suggestive Situations, Violence  
**SasuSakuMonth: **Hallucination (Prompt)

* * *

The steady drops of water fell down his hair onto the puddle beside him. The figure staring back at him was as empty as he imagined, much like the company that was resting right beside him. His eyes followed the path of a falling droplet. It fell in a seemingly glacial pace, stopping only to collide with a frail and lifeless vessel. He shut his eyes to forget.

"Sasuke, the smell is getting worse."

He laid his head against his knees, ignoring Suigetsu's fingers as they pinched his nose. He made no reply until his other comrade, Juugo, placed a comforting hand on his shoulders. His eyes slowly made contact with the tiny bird on his shoulders.

"We have to get rid of the body. If not, she'll suffer the same fate as the other victims of Kabuto's army."

The clouds slowly dispersed to reveal a full moon in the sky.

"It's the least we can do for her, Sasuke."

It took him a few minutes to fully comprehend what he meant. He nodded reluctantly.

"Okay."

They stood together in silence as his fire burned brightly. The embers flickered carelessly in every direction. As the fire grew bigger, he focused entirely on her. His sharingan eyes memorized every part of her body. Her pink hair, her pale face, her delicate hands, her thin body…

Sounds of howls and screams echoed in his mind. They terrorized him, moaning in agony. A horrible scent burned in the air and he wasn't sure whether it was her flaming body or the images in his head that caused him to push back the bile in his throat.

Sasuke fell shakily to the ground. It was all too much so he closed his eyes, opening them once more when she was nothing but a pile of ashes.

His companions gathered around him, unsure how to break him from his daze.

"What are we going to do now, Sasuke?"

His head lifted up slowly to face Juugo's tall form. It fell back down when words could not escape his lips.

"Juugo's right. I mean, whose side are we on, anyway? Do we go back to that Madara guy or….?"

There was nothing left, only a pile of dust as the flames continued to burn. There was nothing. Sasuke sheathed his katana and raced across the muddy grass. It was far too much to bear.

"Sasuke!"

His feet continued to move as his mind followed numbly. He abandoned the other two who decided it was best to not follow him. The trees were his only current companion as was the wind that howled eerily across the forest.

More flashes of memory blinded his vision. His feet missed a landing and he skidded onto the muddy floor, struggling to get up. The first thing he noticed were his dirty hands, stained with the fresh scent of blood. He could still smell it. He could still hear it. He could still feel it.

More screams, more blood, more hideous odors.

Using the nearby tree to hoist himself up, Sasuke continued to move forward foot by foot, letting his empty mind carry him wherever it pleased. It wasn't until he reached an open meadow and came face to face with an entity that caused him to activate his eternal mangekyou sharingan instantly, that his mind snapped into focus.

"I suspected I'd find you here."

He gripped the handle on his katana.

"The shinobi allied forces will be arriving soon. We have to move quickly."

He gritted his teeth.

"Kabuto and the Zetsu copies are approximately ten kilometers north of here. We have to regroup at a more appropriate location before we attack."

The sword was unsheathed at the man who lazily gave recognition to the aggressive action.

"Do you plan to kill me, Sasuke?"

Sasuke gripped the handle of his katana tightly.

"I don't know why you're so upset with _me_."

He took one step then two.

"After all…"

His feet moved faster to close the distance.

"You're the one that killed her in the first place."

"You fucking asshole!" Sasuke let out a loud war cry before striking down at the ground and summoning bolts of lightning in his wake.

"My, my. That could have killed me, had it actually struck me of course."

Sasuke switched his grip and went in for vertical strikes, the lightning following suit and crackling in the calm environment.

"Ooh, I think he's serious about his intent."

He summoned a giant wall of black flames which was easily doused by the man's own techniques. He then summoned a giant beast of lightning to strike the field but that too was in vain. Sasuke ravaged the field as reckless as his lightning.

"This isn't quite your style, Sasuke."

The man was cool and collective during the entire battle. He gracefully dodged every single one of Sasuke's strikes which aggravated the boy to the point where there was no longer any strategy or form to his movements.

"Well, this is turning out to be quite the disappointment."

Sasuke raised his hand in the air to summon his trump card but was stopped by a move that was so fast, even his upgraded sharingan could not register it. The man's own sword slashed right through his stomach and the impact sent him flying backwards.

"I thought battling you may have presented itself as a challenge. My honest mistake."

Sasuke struggled to his feet, one hand clutching the open wound on his stomach.

"It was you."

"What was me?"

"This was all _your_ doing!"

"What was my doing?"

"You know what I'm fucking talking about!"

"Ah, yes. That." He chuckled.

"You knew she would be there!"

He smiled wickedly.

"YOU SET ME UP!"

"Did I now?"

"You fucking knew it. You fucking knew all along!"

"What's done is done. She's dead."

"Why? What was so important about her? What did she fucking matter in this?"

He smirked knowingly. "Why? I wonder."

Sasuke clenched the pile of mud beneath him.

"It's quite tragic really. That you would kill the only person you ever loved."

His eyes narrowed.

"You failed to protect your mother, your father, and your brother. You failed to protect her. How sad it must be to be you right now."

His nostrils flared.

"But I'm a reasonable man. I offer you something special, Sasuke."

"I don't want anything from you."

"On the contrary. I think you'll enjoy my present."

Sasuke was frozen to his spot when the man revealed a strange shape in his eyes. It forced him to follow his gaze up at the sky. The moon began to show off an intricate design, a sharingan. It morphed into another shape and before he realized it, his own eyes reflected this strange pattern. The dark night sky turned into a sea of crimson fire. The atmosphere was thick with mist and he was no longer standing on wet grass but instead, falling from the sky.

"I think you'll enjoy my present very much."

Sasuke collapsed onto the grass, the last image in his mind was that of a masked figure and a blood red sky.

* * *

"They said it should be around here somewhere."

"And what exactly are we looking for?"

He hesitated, glad that the mask he wore concealed most of his facial expressions. "Naruto, what I'm about to tell you is important. You have to promise that you'll remain calm."

The boy nodded slowly.

"Inoichi recently got reports of a battle taking place close by." He grabbed Naruto's shoulders firmly. "A battle with a boy of dark hair and red eyes."

"You mean Sasuke, right?"

"Yes. Naruto, I know how excited you may be, but the reality is that we're not quite sure where Sasuke stands."

"But we have to try and talk with him!"

"Naruto, Sasuke may not be in good humor. He may not want to speak with us. If he did decide to try and kill us, what would you do?"

"I'll talk to him."

"Naruto!"

He squeezed his closed fist. "Kakashi-sensei, I need to speak with him. I know Sasuke. I understand where he's coming from. I don't know what I'll say or do now, but the words will come to me. I know they'll come to me when I see him."

"Naruto…" he sighed.

"I'll fight him if I have to. There's no doubt about that. But please, give me at least that chance."

"Well, I suppose even if I said no, you'll just do it anyway. Am I right?"

"Heh, yeah. So might as well just agree to it."

"Fine. Just do me one favor. All right?"

"And what's that, sensei?"

"Don't get yourself killed."

Kakashi was greeted with the traditional Naruto seal of approval.

"I won't! It's a deal!"

Satisfied that the boy would keep his end of the bargain, Kakashi moved on once again from branch to branch. It was imperative they keep up the speed. There was no telling what could have happened in the meantime.

"Hey sensei. Where's Sakura-chan? Isn't she coming with us?"

"Sakura is on a covert mission right now. Sai and Yamato will meet up with us soon, and hopefully she'll follow suit."

"I can't wait."

"Hmm?"

"Well, I mean…team seven is going to be reunited. And maybe this time, we can all fight together instead of _against_ each other."

"Naruto…"

"I know. I know. Don't get my hopes up. It's what you always say. But I gotta stay positive, right sensei?"

He smirked. "This guy…honestly."

"Let's hurry up! Teme's got an earful waiting from me."

"Ah. Let's hurry."

Fallen twigs were left in the dust as the two pressed onwards, unsuspecting of the dangers awaiting them.

* * *

A light shone brightly in his face. His eyes twitched in response. He opened them slowly and with blurry vision, he gazed at the sunlight that was streaming through his window. There were birds chirping outside, indicating that it was past dawn. There were several people running about in the roads, at least he gathered from the chatter. The linens beneath his body radiated a wonderful warmth, or perhaps it was the sunlight. Either way, he nestled comfortably back into his bed. But a peculiar scent of jasmine rice wafted through the air, and his nostrils picked it up quickly.

Sasuke sprung out of bed in shock. A bed, a window, a room. The scent of rice and fresh fish and cabbage. The scent of clean linens and wood polish. He knew this scent. He knew this room. He knew this house. He knew the familiar angelic humming that echoed in the hallways. Before he could process more, his feet kicked off the bed and instincts guided him down a staircase, around a corner and into a kitchen.

There, before his very eyes, was a woman with long black hair, blue sundress and a beige apron tied around her. She dipped her spoon into a broth before carefully sipping it for a taste. She poured the flavoring onto a frying pan and dipped her cabbage into it before stirring it and covering it up to let it steam. She turned to smile at him and his voice locked in his throat.

"Sasuke, finally, you're up. I was beginning to worry."

His mouth twitched down and up before the bottom portion of his lip quivered.

"I was just getting breakfast ready. If you don't mind, can you please set the…"

The woman was almost knocked out of balance from the collision of his body and tight embrace.

"And what's this about?"

"I missed you."

"Eh?"

He clutched onto her clothes tighter. "I missed you so much."

"Missed me? Sasuke, you saw me last night. What's gotten into you?"

He rubbed his eyes and was comforted once more by a hand on his hair.

"Did you have a bad dream?"

"It seems like it."

"Well, don't worry about it. Dreams aren't real, Sasuke. You're old enough to know that."

"Ah."

"I'm still here for you."

He returned her smile and was content when she finally returned the hug. He rubbed his head along her dirty apron.

"I love you so much, Kaa-san."

"Oh you. Are you just sucking up so I'll give you the biggest portion again?"

He chuckled softly at the joke and nodded along.

"Even at your age, you're still a little goof. Come on, you. Set the table so we can start eating."

"We?"

"Yes, your father and brother will be joining us soon."

Sasuke's happiness was further heightened when two males appeared at the small table. They sat at opposite ends and gathered their food to commence the meal.

The two men were now aware of the boy's presence in the room.

"Sasuke, how are your Anbu missions coming along?"

He didn't answer, but instead offered a smile to his father.

"What's with that smile?"

His mother placed a large bowl of rice on the table before sitting down. "I'm not sure. He's been like that all morning."

"He's probably still half-drunk from all the partying last night."

His brother's smirk as he openly poked fun of his stupor, his mother's soft humming as she filled her bowl up with rice and the sounds of his father's slurps as he downed his hot tea…they were all too much to absorb. He shut his eyes and allowed a large grin to spread itself across his face, much to everyone's surprise.

"Sasuke, sweetie. What's wrong now?"

Tears spilled down his cheeks. "Nothing. Nothing at all."

Breakfast was wonderful and despite his need to be closer to his family, his curiosity and excitement won the battle. He sped out of the house in a hurry, ignoring his mother's admonishing cries as she told him not to run about without regards to others.

His genuine wonder for the new world around him filled him with exquisite delight. And after running circles around the village like a madman, he stopped on top of a roof to catch his breath. The Uchiha district showed no signs of having been demolished. The stone walls were still intact. The houses were entirely occupied. There was no sign of deterioration in the vicinity. People were not massacred, there were no blood stains on the doors and even the rest of the villagers seemed to be prancing about in happiness. If there was a war going on, nobody told these people.

Sasuke took in a deep breath of air before he realized another important fact. There, on the rocks of the Hokage Monument were the faces of four shinobi. He realized then that something was not quite right.

"Oi! Teme!"

"Naruto?"

Naruto greeted him with his patented white smile. "What are you doing up there? Didn't realize the comic shop needed a new wind vale."

He wasn't quite sure what to think of the situation but hopped down to greet the boy nonetheless.

"Naruto…I…"

"What's wrong?"

"There's something wrong, I think."

"Wrong? Like what?"

"Well, I think…I think this is all wro—"

"Naruto! You little brat! Don't think you can squeal your way out of carrying the bags again!"

Naruto flinched and hid behind Sasuke. "Shit, it's my mom."

Sasuke gasped softly. "Mom?"

The red haired woman immediately went in to grab her son's ears and yank him away from his hiding spot. "You little jerk. When I tell your father what you did…"

"Aww, come on Kaa-chan! I was just joking around. I saw Sasuke so I came to greet him."

The woman's hand was gently stroking her stomach. She had a rather large bump, and he knew that it wasn't a result of overeating. He raised his eyes to meet her when she no longer held her son in a death like grip.

"Sasuke, it's good to see you. How is your mother doing?"

"Fine."

"That's good to hear. Your mother is so very lucky. You and Itachi are well behaved. Not like this little twat right here."

Despite the annoyance in her voice, he could tell from the interaction that there was no genuine resentment between the mother and her son.

"When you go back home, tell your mother that I expect to see her for Hanami next Saturday. We have a lot of catching up to do."

"Yes ma'am."

She smiled and nodded as a bidding of farewell. "Come on you little brat. Let's get home."

"Coming! See you later, teme. I have to get going."

"Ah."

"Oh and uh, quick reminder. It's already noon so you may want to hurry up to the park. You don't want to piss her off now, do you?"

He wished Naruto had stayed behind and explained his words instead of adhering to his mother's commands. What did he mean by them?

Sasuke began another stroll through the village, heading to the park as Naruto instructed.

_You don't want to piss her off…_

His eyes widened, his heart pumped faster and his feet moved in quicker strides. His breathing picked up as he raced crazily through the roads, paying no mind to the pedestrians crowded in the market. After fighting through several groups of people, he rushed to a wooded area. Many couples gathered about and sat beneath the shade of trees. They threw blankets on the grass and indulged in picnics. He scanned the area and made several rounds in the park before he eventually found one girl sitting alone on a blanket beneath her own tree.

His heart stopped when she finally took notice of him.

"Sasuke-kun…"

He clenched his hands to stop the shaking.

"You're late…"

His eyebrows scrunched, and he remained hesitant to respond.

She pouted her lips. "You're late and now you won't talk to me?"

He wasted no further time in throwing himself at her lap. "I'm sorry…"

"It's okay. I wasn't waiting long." She played with his hair but frowned when he squeezed her tighter against him.

"I'm so sorry, Sakura."

"Sasuke-kun, why are you crying?"

"I didn't mean it."

She smoothed out the wrinkles in his shirt. "Sasuke-kun, you're shaking."

"Please forgive me."

She barely heard the muffled request. "It's not like you to be so dramatic Sasuke-kun. Usually you're goofing off by now and eating up all my food."

"Sakura..."

He released her and settled to lay right beside her lying form with some encouragement and guidance. His shaking eventually stopped as did his tears when she comforted him with soft strokes of his face and light humming. The image of his mother was the first thing that came to mind. It was soothing. He fell on his back beside her. The two stared up at the sakura tree as the leaves began to fall. She inhaled deeply to which Sasuke turned his head.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing." She grabbed his hands and locked her fingers with his. "Everything is just perfect."

"Ah." He squeezed her hand tighter in reassurance and allowed her head to rest by his.

"Can you believe it's already spring? Time flies by so fast. It seems like just yesterday we all graduated from the academy. And now he we are, seven years later. It's so surreal."

It really was. This world was much more different than he imagined. Everything about it was perfect. But it was that very reason that he felt uneasy about the whole thing.

"Sasuke-kun?"

He proceeded to sit up, ruining the quiet ambiance.

"Did I say something wrong?"

Sasuke rested his head on his knees, not speaking for a good two minutes. He knew he was worrying her but the fact of the matter was, she along with everyone else was worrying _him_.

"This isn't real."

"Eh? What isn't real, Sasuke-kun?"

He turned his head over to the rest of the park. He didn't notice it before but there were some small details off about the area. The stone bench was not in the same position as he remembered. The fountain was a little ways off. The trees were completely unaligned from their real position. Sasuke closed his eyes to deliberate it all. When he opened them again, he was now standing face to face with the girl.

"This is a genjutsu. None of it is real."

He was expecting her to laugh. He was expecting her to playfully hit him and deny any understanding of the words coming from his mouth. He was not expecting her to approach him calmly and caress his cheek.

"You're right, Sasuke-kun. It isn't."

His eyes widened.

She grabbed his hand and gently kissed the back of his palm.

"This _isn't_ real. None of this is."

He took a few steps back only to have her follow him step by step.

"But does that really matter?"

His back collided gently with a nearby tree.

"If it doesn't hurt anyone, is there really a problem?"

He flinched from her warm hands that once again stroke his pale skin.

"If it makes people happy, is there anything wrong with it?"

A sigh of content escaped when she glided her hands through his hair. He opened his eyes to find her face so very close to his. And she leaned in to offer a tickling whisper.

"If the dream is much better, shouldn't we keep on sleeping?"

Her lips hovered considerably close to his. The warmth of her breath mingled with his and the sensation of her mouth moving sensually against his had him yearning for something of which he wasn't sure.

"This dream _is_ better. Isn't it…Sasuke-kun?"

The words penetrated his own mouth, sending a shiver of excitement as she spoke against his lips.

"Ah."

It was. It truly was.

* * *

A deep imprint of a shinobi's foot was left behind as a group stomped right through the heavy foliage.

"He's somewhere up ahead. My ink bird summoning detected a disturbance not too far from here."

"Good work, Sai. Naruto, make sure you keep your cool."

Naruto's smirk grew in response. "Don't worry about me. I'll do my part."

The four continued to hop from branch to branch in haste. It was not long ago when intelligence informed them of the enemy's location. Several Zetsu had confirmed their retreat from the allied forces for the moment. It was the perfect opportunity to infiltrate and gain more information especially now that that the Kyuubi was cooperating. They had to succeed.

The tall trees were soon replaced by fields of grass and dandelion seeds. And standing right in the middle of this vast empty area were two men several meters apart.

Naruto's eyes dilated at the sight. He wasted no time in exceling his speed.

"Naruto! Don't rush in!"

Listening to Kakashi's warning, Yamato summoned a giant barrier of wood and trapped Naruto before he could effortlessly get himself killed. He knew the moment the raven haired boy was seen collapsed on the grass by the blonde boy that all hell would break loose.

"You son of a bitch! What the hell have you done to Sasuke?"

"Sasuke?" The man casually stole a peek at the sleeping figure. "Oh, not to worry. He's merely sleeping."

The other four held their ground and stiffened their stances when the man reached over to his holster.

"Or rather I should say…he's trapped in my genjutsu."

Kakashi could hear Naruto's teeth chatter in unhidden fury. He took his position as team captain and stood in front of the group in order to shield the enemy from Naruto's gaze.

"Sai, relay this information to intel."

"Yes, sir."

"Yamato, keep Naruto at bay. I don't want his emotions getting him killed."

"Kakashi-sensei! I can take this guy now. I'm the strongest one here!"

"All the more reason for you to stay alive. Right now, Sasuke needs you. Try to wake him up and protect him until I say otherwise."

"But…"

"You can watch us battle to gain more visual experience on the enemy's combat skills. Learn to memorize his moves. It will suit you better when you have to fight next."

Naruto gulped at what 'when' entailed. "Yes, sir."

"You seem confident, Hatake Kakashi."

Hand signs went wild.

"Things won't go your way so easy."

Kakashi's left hand lifted his headband to reveal a similar red eye. "Well, we shall see about that."

The battle had begun.

* * *

A splash of water stung his face. He glared at the giggling girl that looked back at him, daring him to do something about it.

He smirked before going after her.

"Sasuke-kun, you're much slower than before. Maybe having a girlfriend is making you soft," she winked to accompany the teasing.

He ran faster to close the distance and picked up the girl in seconds flat.

"Sasuke-kun!"

He spun her around faster.

"Stop! I'm getting dizzy."

Despite her laughter, he knew she really was, and so he placed her gently back on the grass.

"_That's_ the goofy guy I'm familiar with." Her lips quickly pecked his nose. "Oh hey, hey!"

He chuckled at her high energy as she pulled him under a tree. "What is it?"

"Do you remember this tree?"

He didn't, but nodded anyway.

"We put these little charms up here when were younger and made a wish. And you know what? I never told you my wish." Her hands hid behind her body as she swayed in hidden mischief. "Can you guess what it was?"

"Ah, let me see…" He walked around, playfully pondering on the possibilities. "Was it…a new dress?"

"No!"

"Hmm, then it has to be…a new set of books."

"What? I can _buy_ all these things. Come on, I know you know."

"Ah, then in that case you wished that one day you would be graced by the wonderful presence that is me."

She punched him in the shoulder. "You're such a cocky jerk! But fine. It's kind of true."

"Oh really now?"

"Yes. As much as I hate feeding your ego, I wished that one day we could have a future together. You and me…together." She leaned in further against his body. The warmth that radiated from him caused her to moan in delight. "And Sasuke-kun, what was your wish?"

He honestly couldn't remember but knowing him and knowing that they both made these wishes, he could guess pretty accurately. Instead of giving her the romantic lines she was dying to hear, he concealed his lips by her ears and offered her a few choice words he knew would turn her red.

"Sasuke-kun!" She pushed him away, half mortified and half flattered.

"What? You asked."

She pouted to combat his cocky smirk. "A jerk to the end."

Their foreheads collided with each other. "Are you surprised?"

"I shouldn't be. This is you, after all."

They rubbed their heads together. "Ah."

The birds chirped loudly around them, sharing in their current elation. The feel of a cool spring breeze pushed her further into his embrace and he was all too welcoming to her touch. They stayed that way for several minutes, offering each other nothing but tender kisses. He released only when she pulled away for air.

"We should make a wish now."

"Hmm?"

She giggled, knowing his mind was focused on only one thing at the moment when his lips went back to seek hers.

"I'm serious. We should make another wish beneath this tree."

"What for? I already have what I want."

"Yes, but is that all there is to it? Think about it. We can have any wish we want."

"You don't need trees to make your dreams come true, Sakura. I'll do that for you."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Really, _really_?"

He flicked her forehead.

"Yes, you brat."

She swerved around and bounced to the tree. "Then…I wish one day we can get married."

"Done."

"And then, I wish I could have a huge wedding…w-with a big chocolate cake!"

"Consider it done as well."

"And there'll be sprinkles."

"We can't forget them."

"And a fluffy white wedding dress."

"Wouldn't have it any other way."

"And everyone will be there."

"Everyone."

"And then we'll go on a big trip together afterwards."

"Wherever you want."

He raised his eyebrow when her lips quirked into a small smirk.

"And then…I want my own family."

His eyes softened.

"Of course."

"Really? You want to have children?"

"Ah."

"With me?"

"There's no one else."

She melted at the declaration and returned his silent request for a kiss.

"How many?"

"Hmm? Kisses?"

He was distracted again, but it was always easier to manipulate him when he was side-tracked.

"No, silly! How many children should we have?"

"As many as you want."

"Well, in that case…I want five. No, six!"

A chuckle escaped. "Six? Isn't that too many?"

"You said however many I wanted."

"It takes a long time to have that many children."

She brought their hands together by her chest. "We have an eternity together, after all."

Yes, they did.

"So is it okay?"

"Ah."

"Yay!" she jumped on him, latching onto his neck. "When should we start?"

He said nothing, allowing the idea to soak in. But after looking at the two blue jays courting each other, a sneaky grin was plastered on his face. He took her hand and led her through the forest. The pace picked up considerably as the excitement grew. Sakura ran as fast as she could to keep up.

"Where are we going in such a hurry, Sasuke-kun?"

His head turned back, but his feet never stopped their running motion.

"To get a head start."

She was shocked at first, but the smile soon caught on and the two raced down the streets of Konoha hand in hand.

* * *

"Damn it! Wake the fuck up!"

Naruto shook the sleeping form in a desperate attempt to wake it. When that didn't work, he pinched skin, pulled ears, screamed louder and shook harder. But nothing worked.

"I wouldn't bother waking him up."

Naruto growled.

"He won't be thanking you if you do."

"Shut the fuck up, you son of a bitch!"

Naruto was livid knowing the masked man was concealing a mocking smirk.

"But it's true. You'll only be causing him more grief by waking him up. Taking away the one happiness he has left…how cruel of a person are you, Naruto?"

Naruto's eyes held all his convictions. "A world like that is a lie. What you want to do is control people's lives. Living like that means nothing if it isn't your own choice. What's the point if everything you're given is just an illusion?"

"Sometimes the illusion is better. Sometimes the illusion is happier."

"No one can be happy knowing they're being controlled."

"But that's the beauty of it, Naruto. No one would know if everyone was caught in the lie. If no one knows it's a lie, then what can it be but the truth? Truth, after all, is deceiving. One person's truth is another person's lie. As such, everyone lives within their own illusion of how the world works. Their own dream. If we do it my way, there would be no wars, no death, no sorrow, no grief, no pain. Everyone would live life happily in their own dreams."

Kakashi's hand firmly held Naruto down. He knew if he didn't, Naruto would rush head first into the battlefield to shut the man up.

"It's true everyone has their own perspective in life. But that's the point. It's _their_ _own_ perspective. It's _their_ choice. If we do it your way, you take away the one thing people are guaranteed. What you want isn't to give people happiness. It's to give _you_ happiness. All you want is the illusion of power. _You're_ the one dreaming."

The man let out a sharp hiss of anger which caused the other four men to smirk.

"Kakashi-sensei is right. Life gives you hardships. Life gives you grief and sorrow. We can't help that, but we get by how we can. I know that very well. But the one thing we _do_ have control over is us. Our future. Our paths. I won't allow you to take that from anyone. I won't allow you to do as you want. I will _never_ fall to a stupid illusion!"

"Tch. So be it." His hands formed several seals as the ground below shook in a fury.

"Naruto, watch over Sasuke. I'll take on this guy until reinforcements arrive."

"Ah! Count on me!"

Naruto watched the back of his sensei as he dashed forward with his one sharingan unveiled. He looked back at his fallen comrade and held onto him tightly.

"Just hold on a little longer, teme. We're going to help you."

It would all be over soon.

* * *

His open window let in a much needed cool breeze. He watched as his wind chimes swayed gently in the wind, offering a peaceful melody to lull them to sleep. Here he was on a bed, lazily nodding off to sleep and it was the single most spectacular moment in his life.

Sakura rubbed her head against his bare chest smiling and releasing a deep sigh of content. The hairs tickling his skin, the tiny beads of sweat trickling onto his neck, the even exhalation of breath blowing against his ears…he loved it all. And as he lay on his back stroking the soft skin of the woman on top, he realized that he didn't want to spend the rest of his life with anyone else. She was all that mattered.

"Sasuke-kun?"

"Mmm?" He barely managed to respond.

Her giggles were as enchanting as a wind chime. "Are you happy here with me?"

"Ah."

"Like, really _really_ happy?"

He smiled at her childish voice. "Really."

"How happy?"

"I've never been happier…"

He felt her smile and returned her kiss. Sasuke managed to open his sleepy eyes only to be greeted by bright green eyes.

"For me, I hope we can share many more happy moments like this. I wish I can be like this with you all the time. I wish…I wish that nothing could come between us. Do you feel that way too, Sasuke-kun?"

"Ah. I do."

"And then maybe…"

Two fingers gently walked up his chest until they poked his cheek.

"…in a few months, we'll have another reason to be happy. And then sometime after that, maybe another reason and another and another. We'll be one big, happy family. Ne, Sasuke-kun?"

"Ah. We will."

Her hands slithered down his arms and intertwined their fingers together.

"We'll be together forever?"

He reassured her with a squeeze.

"Forever."

She placed slow kisses along his neck.

"You'll never leave me, right?"

He purred at the feel of her lips.

"Never."

She locked her pinky finger with his.

"You promise?"

He smiled and locked tighter.

"I promise."

Content with his answer she cuddled closer to his chest and smiled when he wrapped her into a tighter embrace.

The wind picked up and he opened his eyes momentarily. The sun was beginning to set. Soon the whole village would be cloaked in darkness. And soon the two could go on dreaming the night away. He smiled at the prospect and rubbed his cheek along her hair. She sighed in return.

"Sasuke-kun?"

"Mmm?"

The wind settled gracefully around them.

"I love you."

His lips pressed against her forehead in a tender kiss.

"I love you, too," he whispered back.

There was no more he could take as his eyes shut slowly and his mind drifted off into sleep. The last thing he remembered was the sight of her pink hair, the steady beat of her heart and the gentle voice as she called out his name once more.

_Sasuke-kun…_

His eyes twitched in response, wanting nothing more than to go back to sleep.

_Sasuke-kun, it's time to get up…_

He offered a groan in protest.

_Sasuke-kun…_

His fingers moved a tiny fraction of a centimeter.

_Sasuke…_

His eyes opened slowly.

"Oi, teme!"

It was the rough shove of his shoulders that had him waking up again. That and a familiar male voice calling out to him.

"Finally, geez! You had me scared, you bastard!"

Blonde hair was the first thing he saw. A wide toothy smile and orange and black jumpsuit right after that. When he was fully awake, he noticed there were two others beside him. A male with hair as black as his and a third he recognized to be a captain. The sound of metal clanking against each other alerted him to two more males, both of them fighting. And after another minute of regaining consciousness, he realized whose company was gracing him.

"Ha! I knew he would make it. You owe me three hundred ryo, Sai."

The boy smiled politely. "Despite the fact that I never initiated a bet?"

"You bastard! Don't squeal out of it! I have witnesses."

Sasuke rubbed his eyes. Everything was veiled in a fog. It was taking some time for his mind to catch up to his body.

"Sasuke, are you alright? Just hang on. Reinforcements are arriving so we'll have a medic here shortly to look after you."

"Medic?" he whispered softly.

He registered Naruto's chuckles and mischievous voice.

"Yeah, hang on just a little bit longer and Sakura-chan will get you fixed up in no time."

Sasuke's eyes widened momentarily before he regained control of his emotions. His eyes fell to the dry bloodstains on his fingers.

"Come to think of it, where is Sakura-chan?"

"According to Sai's last intelligence report, she was sent to a special squad that was guarding the daimyo and elders of the village."

Sasuke's breaths became more uneven.

"That's correct. Shizune was supposed to go but some last minute changes were made and in the end, Sakura was the only medic available to accompany the group to the hideout."

Sasuke's eyes glazed over with the memory of the hideout still fresh in his mind.

"That sucks."

"Don't worry. As soon as Sai's message gets back to her, I'm sure she'll come racing back."

Naruto grinned widely. "Yeah, she wouldn't miss a chance for team seven to be reunited again."

The sounds replayed in his head. There were agonizing screams, swords clashing, blood spattering and lightning crackling. Sasuke shut his eyes tightly and covered his ears to block the sight and sounds of dozens of dying shinobi and kunoichi.

"Hey, teme. What's wrong?" Naruto shook Sasuke roughly. "Guys, I think he's still under the effects of the genjutsu."

"Sakura may have to do a full evaluation on his body. I'll check on my Sumi Bunshin's progress to the hideout and let you know any details of my arrival."

He remembered it all very well. He remembered hearing of the elders and the daimyo in a secret hideout. He remembered being goaded along to infiltrate the base. They were all gathered together in a deep underground facility. He wasted no time in infiltrating the base, decimating the Anbu shinobi that were guarding the outside lair and running right through the labyrinth of stone walls before ending up at his desired location. The sight of the elders greeted him first and the image of his dead brother and parents was the first thing in his mind. His sharingan activated instantly; his blood boiled and he let out a loud cry as his body moved instinctively to rampage and demolish everything in his sight.

It was a blind run as his lightning filled sword ripped every flesh he saw to shreds. He stabbed some, tore others to pieces, and mutilated many. And it wasn't until his katana rammed itself right into the chest of a kunoichi and blood red eyes registered pink hair that his body and mind came to a complete halt.

His hand was extended out, her body caught in mid-air as it was still stuck in his katana. He knew her shock matched his.

There was barely any struggle. Her hands reached out to the sword in her chest but her fingers slid numbly on it. The strength to try and move the weapon out had left her. First her head fell forward, then more blood trickled down the blade, and finally her hands fell limp to the side as her breathing was suspended. There were no last words; there were no pleas of mercy; there was not even a whisper of his name. There was nothing left.

She never had a chance.

Naruto clutched his shoulder tightly. "Don't worry, teme. Sai will find Sakura-chan. And once he does, we can all fight this bastard together. As a team."

His mouth opened and closed, no response coming forth.

"But man, is she late! We'll just have to scold her when she comes back. Hee hee."

He bit his lip to keep the scream from escaping. He shut his eyes to keep the images out of his head. He ignored everything else to forget how much it all burned.

Sakura wasn't coming back. Sakura would never come back. And it took that silent confession to break the dam and allow the tears to rush from his eyes.

"Hey, what the hell is wrong?"

He grinded his teeth together to keep the crying at bay.

His mother was dead. His father was dead. His brother was dead. Sakura was dead. They were gone forever. And no insurmountable power in the universe could ever bring them back.

"Sasuke, seriously! What the fuck is wrong?"

He opened his tear stained eyes once more. They slid from the worried look of the boy before him to the pale moon in the sky. And as the sounds of struggling shinobi echoed in the meadow, as the wind picked up and tossed his hair in disarray, as the twinkling of a thousand stars reflected the empty universe around him, he realized how much better the lie was.

How much better it was to keep on dreaming...

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

I know, I know. Depressing. But it was an idea I had to tackle. Hopefully the real manga will have a more fuzzy feely ending. I may/may not do a sequel. If so, it will just be a one-shot of Sasuke's coping. But don't quote me on this. It's a very big might.

_~Icehaze_


End file.
